[CONAN] Immersive Combat Development Thread

[Supplement Four]

I am developing a slightly tweaked set of Conan combat rules designed to make combat more immersive and much more than just two dots on a piece of graph paper dicing back and forth.

Conan RAW already goes a long way to make combat more interesting than what I just described. I'm just going to take it a step or two further.

I'll use this thread as the development thread. Comment as you wish. Rules may change from their inception. That's because this is about idea development, not finished/playtested rules.

 

[Supplement Four]

Basic Combat Routine Notes.

1. Active Defense: Use the Active Defense optional rule. (Though these rules, when finished, might be useable with the game without using Active Defense).

2. Descriptive Combat Actions: Players must be very descriptive about how they will attack. A player can't just say, "My Barbarian will attack the Vanir". Players need to indicate exactly how their characters are moving and swinging their weapons. (This should make the game very immersive in and of itself.) Live through the experience. Don't just dice it.

 

[Supplement Four]

Attack Throw

Natural 20 results in a Critical Threat, per normal rules.

Natural 1 results in a fumble? Counter attack by opponent? Some other nasty thing?



Parry Defense Throw

Natural 20 results in the defender gaining a counter attack on his attacker.

Natural 1 results in the attacker gaining a free Disarm attempt.*

What if using a shield? Should this be a shield/weapon damage attempt?


Dodge Defense

Natural 20 results in the defender gaining a counter attack on his attacker.

Natural 1 results in the attacker gaining a free Trip attempt.



The extra attacks (Counter Attacks, Disarms, and Trips) are all considered Attacks of Opportnity, and thus a character can only take advantage of one AoO per round unless the character has Combat Reflexes or benefits in some other way allowing him to take more than one AoO per round.

 

[Supplement Four]

GIVE GROUND combat maneuver



I'm thinking of making a new combat maneuver that is the Parry version of Dance Aside.

Here are the broad strokes of my idea. Basically, the maneuver has you moving away from the attacker just as he strikes, just not receiving the full amount of energy from the blow. Damage is less.

1. Requires DEX 13+, just like Dance Aside.

2. Parry throw* must be double attack throw, similar to Dance Aside.

2a. *If not using Active Defense, then attack throw must be half or less than Parry Defense number.

3. Unlike Dance Aside, the Give Ground maneuver would be a standard action. So, you'll have to give up your attack to use it.

4. Direction of movement should be limited to be "away" from attacker. I need to think about this. Part of me wants to say that you are forced back in a straight line. Another part says that as long as you move away from the attacker and not to his side, the maneuver will work. You move five feet, just like Dance Aside.

5. You must annouce that you are Giving Ground before you roll your Parry defense**.

5a. **If you are not using Active Defense, then you must announce that you are using Give Ground just before the attacker makes his attack roll.

6. If all conditions are met, then if you take damage, you remove a number of points from the damage you take equal to your Parry Bonus. Thus, for many, this maneuver won't be used until 2nd level.



Anybody see any problems with that?



EDIT: Maybe...make it an Instant action, like Dance Aside, since it's got the roll qualifier in there. Remove the "announcement" requirment, too. That way, the character using this gets his normal attack but only takes advantage of this when it is triggered by the attack throw being half that of Parry defense.

 

[Supplement Four]

I'm thinking of doing something that the authors were going to put into the game but either ran out of space or decided against.

We'll call this "Combat Advantage" for now.

How it works is this:

1. The GM listens to the player's description of how he's using his weapon for his attacks and parries and during his dodges. If his use is reasonable, then the combat continues as normal.

2. The GM is listening for an advantaged/disadvantaged situation in the description of combat. For example, a character may use his broadsword to parry the incoming blow and then, the player describes how the character flips his wrist to alter which side his blade leans, blocking to the left,then flipping and coming in on the target's torso with a slice from the right. The broadsword is an edged weapon, and the movement the character made is reasonable, so this attack goes without an advantaged or disadvantaged situation.

But, let's say an opponent comes in on the character with a spear, low to the character's left hip. The character is right handed, and he describes his parry has taking his broadsword and coming down hard on the haft of the spear, knocking it down and away.

Now, given the position of the character with his right arm across his body and the blade pointing past his left leg, he's in no position to recover quickly and make a strike. This the GM recognizes as a disadvantaged positon. So, the GM slaps a -2 penalty on the character's next attack.

For a third example, consider the attacker with a spear doing the exact same thing. He comes in low, jabbing at the character's waist. The player describes his character dodging this time. He says his toon takes a step to the right, avoiding the spear. Now, the GM sees that the character is in an advantaged position. He's slightly to the opponent's left, and the opponent is hunched, with both hands on the spear. The opponent has his entire left side exposed, and the attacking character is right handed. He can swing is broadsword with a chop coming in from the back to the opponent's mid-section, or he can just use the point of his broadsword to stick in his opponent's ribs.

Since the character is in a good position (and hopefully takes advantage of the position with his description of his attack), the GM rules that the character is, in deed, advantaged, and gives him a +2 bonus to hit.





Using this Advantaged Combat System, all that's happening is that the GM is listening to the player's immersive description of his attack and defense movements and deciding when the character is advantaged and disadvantaged. He considers the type of weapon and how it is best used (piercing, slashing, or blunt chopping attacks). Then the GM simply awards a +2, -2, or no modifier at all, depending on what he thinks is appropriate.



I sure would have liked to have seen how the authors of the rulebook implemented this type of rule, but from what I read, it was close to what I have here.

 

[Supplement Four]

SILENT INTENSITY Feat

Requires: WIS 13+

This Feat makes you immune to taunts, intimidation, feints and any other CHA based combat maneuvers. In order to invoke the Feat, you must spend one round at the beginning of the combat encounter studying your foe. If attacked during this round, you can make a Concentration check at a DC equal to your foe's attack throw to keep your thoughts focussed. If you fail the throw, you lose the focus, and Silent Intensity cannot be invoked during this combat.

This Feat is an exapansion of the Silent Intensity Feat listed on pg. 125 of the Cimmeria sourcebook.







PERFORM (TAUNT) Combat Maneuver

This is a skill use standard action. You roll your Taunt skill. Your opponent rolls his Concentration skill modified by BAB WIL modifier. If his Concentration check fails, your foe suffers a defense penalty equal to the difference in the two dice throws to a maximum of -6.

You can attempt to taunt your foe unlimited times until he succeeds on is Concentration throw. Once that occurs, he will ignore further taunting.

This Combat Maneuver is inspired by the Perform (Taunt) skill used described on pg. 124 of the Cimmeria sourcebook and the skill in the Neverwinter Nights computer game.

 

[Supplement Four]

SILENT INTENSITY -revision





SILENT INTENSITY (GENERAL)

You focus every instinct on the battle ahead, staring intently at your foe.

Cimmerians have the ability to fall into a period of absolute, sullen silence, during which time they stand, calm and motionless, staring intently at the enemy. During this period of silent intensity the Cimmerian does two things. First, he clears his mind and focuses purely on the battle to come. Second, he prepares for death: that of his foes and his own. Through the sheer power of concentration, the Cimmerian turns himself, temporarily, into a killing machine--although he does not become bezerk. He simply prepares his mind and body for the singular task of killing the enemy and being killed, perhaps, if his luck runs out.

Prerequiste: Wis 13+; must be Cimmerian

Benfefit: As you silently concentrate on what you have to do and what you have to become when the fighting starts, you roll a WILL saving throw against a DC 20. This throw receives no other modifiers from Feats or other sources except that you may add your level to the throw: d20 + WILL modifier + Level vs. DC 20. You must concentrate on your foes for a full combat round, ignoring everything that goes on around you. If you fail the WILL saving throw, then you cannot invoke Silent Intensity this combat.

You must have a foe in plain sight on which to concentrate; if the foe is hidden or invisible, Silent Intensity cannot be invoked.

If the WILL saving throw succeeds, then Silent Intensity will last a number of round equal to your highest ability modifier, with a minimum of 1 round, and you may choose one of the six benefits below.



A - Improve your armor's DR rating by your level, divided by 2 (round down, minimum of 1).

B - Double STR damage modifier.

C - Increase attack modifier equal to level divided by 2 (round down, minimum of 1).

D - Increase saving throw modifier by an amount equal to level, divided by 2 (round down, minimum of 1).

E - Increase Dodge or Parry (not both) by an amount equal to level, divided by 2 (round down, minimum of 1).

F - Become immune to taunts, intimidation, feints and any other CHA based combat maneuvers.

Special: If, during the one round of concentration required to invoke Silent Intensity, you are attacked physically or magically, your concentration is shattered, and you will not be able to invoke the Feat this combat. In order to maintain concentration when attacked, you must make a Concentraton throw against a DC equal to your attacker's total attack throw. If you are attacked multiple times, you only make one Concentration throw but compare the result with each attack throw.

This Feat is an exapansion of the Silent Intensity Feat listed on pg. 125 of the Cimmeria sourcebook.

 

[Supplement Four]

ATTACK and DEFENSE:

Attack Roll, natural 20 = Critical Threat.
Attack Roll, natural 1 = Inside Opening.

Dodge Roll, natural 20 = Counter strike
Dodge Roll, natural 1 = Inside Opening.

Parry Roll, natural 20 = Counter strike
Parry Roll, natural 1 = Inside Opening.



COUNTER STRIKE: Attack of Opportunity against attacker.

INSIDE OPENING: You have over-extended your attack, parry, or dodge such that your opponent has an opportunity to get in under your guard, sharing the same square. You are exposed to a limited Attack of Opportunity that can be a grapple, unarmed attack, or light weapon counter attack. These attacks do not provoke an Attack of Opportunity if a grapple or unarmed attack is attempted.



TIES

Tie on a Parry throw? Attacker has a choice to roll damage or give up damage and attempt either a Sunder or a Weapon Lock.

Tie on a Dodge throw? Attacker has a choice to roll damage or give up damage and attempt a Trip.





EDIT: And, I think there should be some room for on-the-spot creativity during the combat. For example, if a Pict, wielding his spear, thrusts it at your Barbarian character and rolls a natural "1" on the attack throw, the Barbarian should have the standard Inside Opening choices.



But, if the player asks, "Instead of that, I want to attempt a Sunder on the spear!" Or, he says, "I grab it! Rip it out of his hands!" I don't see why the PC shouldn't be entitled to a free Sunder attempt or Disarm or Weapon Grab, without the normal Attack of Opportunity, instead of being forced to use the Inside Opening choices.